Management Group

Vaisala’s Management Groups are chaired by the President and CEO. Members of the Business Management Group are the Heads of the Business Areas, Products and Technology, Services, Operations and the Chief Financial Officer. In addition to the Business Management Group, the Vaisala Strategic Management Group includes the Heads of Human Resources, Communications, Group Marketing and Sales, and Group Business Development, the Chief Information Officer, the Chief Technology Officer and the Chief Science Officer.

The Management Groups do not exercise any decision making power as defined in legislation or the Articles of Association. The Management Groups are advisory organs that address Group-wide development undertakings, as well as the Group’s principles and operating practices in general.

Business Management Group

Kenneth Forss, Director, Vaisala Instruments
Born 1954. Engineer
Member of the Vaisala Management Group and in the current position since 1991. Previously Marketing Manager of Vaisala Instruments, 1990-1991 and Regional Manager, 1988-1989. Simultaneous positions of trust: Member of the Working group for business and technology in Technology Industries of Finland, and Board Member in Teräskonttori Oy.

Erkki Järvinen, Director, Vaisala Measurement Systems
Born 1960. M.Sc. (Eng)
Member of the Vaisala Management Group since 2002, and in the current position since 2005. Previously Director of Vaisala Soundings, 2002-2004, and Business Unit Manager, 1998-2002. R&D Manager at Rados Oy, 1997-1998 and in Instrumentarium Imaging 1990-1997.

Jouni Lintunen, Chief Financial Officer
Born 1971. M.Sc. (Eng)
Member of the Vaisala Management Group and in the current position since 2006. Previously Vaisala Business Controller at, 2001-2006, and various financial positions within Vaisala Group 1998-2000.

Lauri Rintanen, Director, Operations
Born 1955. M.Sc. (Eng)
Member of the Vaisala Management Group since and in the current position since 2007. Previously Managing Director at JOT Automation, 2006-2007; Executive Vice President for Supply Chain and Technology at Uponor Oyj, 2004-2006; Director for supply chain, quality and customer relationships at Nokia Multimedia, 2001-2004.

Antti Ritvos, Director, Vaisala Solutions
Born 1953, M.Sc. (Eng), BA (Physics and Astronomy)
Member of the Vaisala Management Group and in the current position since 2007. Previously Vice President at Mercuri Urval, 2005-2007; various positions at General Electric Corp. (GE)/ Instrumentarium Oyj, 1986-2004, the last being Vice President and General Manager of Global Technology, GE Healthcare Information Technologies.
Simultaneous positions of trust: Board member in Oy Sten Ab, Wristop Oy and in URSA r.y.

Scott J. Sternberg, Director, Vaisala Services
Born 1964. M.Sc. (Physics)
Member of the Vaisala Management Group  and in the current position since 2007. Previously Manager at Vaisala Thunderstorm Data Business Unit, 2004-2007. Before that various management positions, the latest being Business Development Manager at Roper Industries-Photometrics in 1992-2004.

Walter Dabberdt, Chief Science Officer
Born 1942. Ph.D. Meteorology
Member of the Vaisala Management Group and in the current position since 2000. Previous employments at National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), 1985-2000 and at Stanford Research Institute, 1970-1985.
Simultaneous positions of trust: Board memberships in Atmospheric Sciences and Climate of the National Academy of Sciences as well as in CO-LABS Inc. President for the American Meteorological Society. Board Chair at the Environmental Prediction in Canadian Cities and Chair at the External Advisory Committee, NCAR Earth Observing Laboratory. Co-chair in THORPEX Global Atmospheric research Programme , Observing Systems Working Group. Member in External Steering Committee for Air Quality Forecasting, in Shanghai Meteorological Bureau.

Tapio Engström, Director, Group Business Development
Born 1963. M.Sc (Accounting)
Member of the Vaisala Management Group and in the current position since 2007.
Previously CFO at Aspocomp Group, 2006-2007; CFO at Vaisala Group, 2002-2006; CFO at Vaisala’s North American operations in 2000-2002;
Tapio Engström resigned from Vaisala December 31, 2008.

Matti Ervasti, Director, Global Sales and Marketing
Born 1955. M. Sc. (Chem)
Member of the Vaisala Management Group and in the current position since 2007. Previously Managing Director at Oxford Instruments Analytical Oy; Distribution Director at Oxford Instruments Industrial Analysis.
A position of trust at the Oxford Instruments Analytical Oy and Oxford Instrumens Oy, as Non Executive Director.
Matti Ervasti resigned from Vaisala December 31, 2008.

Marja Happonen, Director, Human Resources
Born 1957. M.Sc. (Econ)
Member of the Vaisala Management Group since 1996 and in the current position since 1994. Previously HR Manager at Scribona Oy, 1989-1994.
Simultaneous positions of trust: Member of the Board of Directors, Finnish Meteorological Institute, and Member of the Board, Deaconess Institute’s Hoiva.

Jussi Kallunki, Director, Information Management
Born 1956. M.Sc. (Eng)
Member of the Vaisala Management Group and in the current position since 2000. Previously IT Manager at Outokumpu Technology Oy, 1998-2000.

Helena Marjaranta, Director, Communications
Born 1963. M.Sc.
Member of the Vaisala Management Group and in the current position since 2007.
Previously Communications Director at Nokia Siemens Networks, 2006-2007; Senior Communications Manager, Nokia Oyj, 2005-2006. Various communications management positions within Nokia Networks business group in 1999–2005.

Ari Meskanen, Chief Technology Officer
Born 1963. M.Sc. (Eng), eMBA
Member of the Vaisala Management Group and in the current position since 2007. Previously Vaisala Soundings Business Unit Manager, Managing Director for Vaisala GmbH, and as Product Manager at Vaisala Oyj.

The annual report shows the Management Group on December 31, 2008. See Vaisala website for the lateste information.